Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-06-02
s1xYxs I'M rHn MINES
Not Of sibcxin Bat % Pretecsed
Pennsylvania.


Not sf sibrxin Rut 81 Pretscsed
Pennsylvania.
New YORK. World iettsr.
1 have paassd couple Of days among
the miners Of Lnzsrne county and have
seen sights to make a strong man weep.
Tney are slaves as surely and truly as
ever the negroes were IN the aoufh-
slaves to coal kings and coal barons,
brazen and soulless mon, who not only |
own the land, bat virtually the people
upon II. They have no champions, 81
least none openly so, though the inhaoi.
iants sympathize with their wrongs, and
pour into the listening ear perfect tor
rent OF talk about the curse which rests
upon the fair fame of the state and
county The local preaH il silent, because
il docs not dare to speak. An editor said
II know IL ia shameful, but what can
we dol The coal Kings have the making
of the postmastera, no matter winch
party is IN power. II any paper dares 10
open its mouth about these uutrages the
/ poetuaaters get the wink and IL ID Kicked
on the 1oor-ita subscribers look in vain
| for IL. One paper near hero, vt Ffesland,
| has defed the autucfais and told truihs
| about them, and for years the editor has
4
i tell you these men are above the law.
| We have to submit to them, and not until
the metropolitan press takes hold of the
matter will Justice ever be done here"
Pennsylvania two years ago passed q
law (the Stone bill Of 1884 declaring that
the coal companies must pay all debts to
their employees in Ussi, and making 1t o
misdeineanor, punishable by fine and i'm.
prisonment, for them to keep stores and
chequs out the wages, as Weniz ~ Go. do
40 openly and as others do. The system
of slavery under which the miners work
is as complete as iron letters would be-
Coal King Patdee, for instance, of Halle
ton, has n large store here. The minersar
not compelled TO trade there, hut IL they
| inn't--well, their services are no longer
required. Then there Is q doctor fur
| nished by each company, and each miner
with family must pay him 20 cents a
month, whether SICK or well, while each
! single man of 81 or more Ia docked 30
cents per month for the benefit OF this
pampered physician. Other doctors are
! '.not allowed" Hundreds of COM
pany doctors have made fortunes
, out of the business. DIR. j. 3.
; Wentz, who with his brother. in law,
' Leisngton, owns the Halle Brook and
Silver Creek mines, does not praotic
/ now, but his brother and nephew
collar the Doodle. Then each man
paws so cents per month towards the
| support of prieAt, but this is not in
/ sisted on. Four dollars ia stopped FOL
i the rent and 81 80 for coal, with 65 cent?
for delivery, aud sometimes, as Heei
aboys, taxes are added. Talk about thu
inudlordism Of Ireland or the Rerfdom o
! RUSSIA They ere balm Of Gilead to tn,
iron clutch OF these coal barons. Their
, is no way of fighting this illegal and I'M
scrupnlous mastery, unless it prove tina
(, their latest antagonist, the Knights
Labor prove worthy of their steel.
man may submit, or he may leave, but
4, he makes trouble he is blncklisted, an
se the region is at once closed TO him as
s, place OF employment. The letters
n coercion are about their necks, the ba
2" and chain of poverty and ignorance hol
1t them in their places, while their kin
masters GO down into tho valleys an
To- smile and smirk and pirate Of protection
ed The effect of this slavery of the mint
he is very marked in the communities u
IL here on the summit of Blue Mountain
ar They are dull, dispirited and deaf
zee There are almost no middle CLASSES
everybody is either in the ring and ricl
be or ont of il and poor. The people {
nd about with scowls on their faces. III
nv yillage streets fairly reek with drunkt
IN men. A curious feature is the strani
, q lack OF youthful people. Theyoung M,
aud women of spirit have gone away
the cities of the valley. Infinitely pitt
en' is the poverty of the region in this ]
iS spect. l am drawing no fancy pictul
Wy Let any doubter come to Ha2leton for
, neI hours and he will see how true the
Tue statements are. For the blight of grt
curse is upon the land and upon
people, and not until it is wiped NV
lar- will happiness return to those grim {
the hills of northern Pennsylvania.
the The World has already told Of the or
nty eyictions ut the Halle Brook Collie
Vs." which have been checked by the lawy
md acting for the Knights of Labor, and
- which there is some reason to BELT
Messrs. j. ). Wentz a. Co. may be mi
irs. to pay dearly. The condition of thi
TO-" at this colliery surpasses belief.
eri hesitates to write down plain facts
ling they should BIO taken for sensational
; by mancing.
but Imagine n dense forest on the table
itor touniur mountain J COO feet above
und sea level. A foot-pGtl leads il from
o. - highway. II is tTaspaas for mill, wa
OF hatcher. cart, or indeed any Yehi
bis mot belonging to the concern, to q
me this sacred ground; but if You go il
the tip toe, no one will bar your progress
for mile back from the railroad you C
mar upon collection of ramshackle 81
I'D. y lures, which give the impression Ii
ched village of pig-pens might. "The p
cken sylvania Pig pens" is what the rude !
il INV ers term their homes. There are hal
tons here for Sc families, two struct
-, rather more pretentious than the
;uS being set apart for the bosses, who
- So month rent instead of ~, and
y, 80 "a plaster on the walls, and floors of ye
III pine. The miners are housed in
=. 49,, sheds, built on blocks, and composer
S ISM to the walls and roof, of a single Il
~ t ~ ness of inch planking. Each of the
~ divided into "houses" for five fam
9 M. and each family hides its nakedness
,.;,o its neighbor by whole inch of planl
~"'" AS you approach the houses be-
brown-legged and squalid young
scurry away like frightened partri,
the youngest ones crying, and thinl
lorri5, of course, You had come to turn
Wi VIII out of their homes One of the b
con- poss nnBers ooninu' Aou 90 -
, New questions, Whleh ne answers tlihiuiy
on my you offer him couple of pennies.
work shakes his frowsy head and says, wi
ever old-mannish air, sDont want 'em. -
Ohio, upake them and buy eandy,n yor
e New tnandn ~ The wor5 ia nav
have 0.,,.sa-sS Tla., ~, - on,,j,,ii,
up by D J,S lhey elh ny oanuS ~.
. Try Ihere IS nelther oanay nor chils
nith's at the Halle Brook Colllery, as yo'
Goods before you have been there long.
Geese Killed by lightning.